About this page. This page summarises a Domestic Homicide Review published in the Home Office DHR Library. The full report is available at the source link below. Victim and perpetrator names are not included in extracted summaries on this page.

Source · Domestic Homicide Review

Middlesbrough review

CSP: Middlesbrough Published: December 2022 Year of death: 2018 Extracted: 7 recs

Statutory domestic homicide review under section 9 of the Domestic Violence, Crime and Victims Act 2004. Source: Home Office DHR Library.

View full report (PDF) ↗ Source: Home Office DHR Library

Summary

The review found that agencies had no direct knowledge of the victim's domestic abuse, despite family and colleagues holding pieces of information. There were missed opportunities by health professionals to proactively inquire about domestic abuse, particularly given the victim's mental health concerns and the perpetrator's deceptive behaviour. The panel also concluded the homicide was an honour killing.

Extracted recommendations

7 recommendations pulled from the report

#	Recommendation	Addressed to
1	The Middlesbrough Community Safety Partnership should review the effectiveness and if necessary strengthen the information provided to family, friends, work colleagues and diverse communities about recognising the signs of domestic abuse and what they can go, if necessary anonymously, with such information. In particular there should be a focus on smaller businesses that do not have the infrastructure in place to support victims of abuse.	Middlesbrough Community Safety Partnership
2	The Middlesbrough Community Safety Partnership should seek assurances from health agencies and commissioners within the partnership that professionals are trained in recognising abuse, being alert to indicators and understanding the links between mental health and domestic abuse. Professionals should have clear understandings of pathways and when appropriate use routing enquiry to ask and understand if a patient is a victim of domestic abuse.	Middlesbrough Community Safety Partnership
3	Middlesbrough Community Safety Partnership should seek assurance from agencies that their policies and training in relation to domestic abuse recognise the barriers that victims of domestic abuse may face, and that measures are in place to help victims overcome their fears about making a disclosure of domestic abuse. Where gaps are identified agencies should provide assurance that plans are in place to deal with them.	Middlesbrough Community Safety Partnership
4	Middlesbrough Community Safety Partnership should seek assurance from agencies that they have policies and training in place to recognise and respond to ‘so called’ honour based violence. Where gaps are identified agencies should provide assurance that plans are in place to deal with them.	Middlesbrough Community Safety Partnership
5	The Human Fertility and Embryo Authority [HFEA] ensure that health professionals working in this sector have policies, systems and training in place that ensure staff proactively look for risk indicators of domestic abuse and ask direct questions when appropriate opportunities are available.	Human Fertility and Embryo Authority [HFEA]
6	NHS England considers issuing guidance to GP practices to ensure patient care is not impacted upon by other relationships that may exist, for example, were there is also a business or commercial relationship.	NHS England
7	Home Office work with the Employers Initiative to create best practice policy for small family owned and run businesses [such as pharmacies] that provides guidance on how staff and employers deal with disclosures, suspicions or indicators of domestic abuse.	Home Office
Recommendations extracted from the published report. Source: Home Office DHR Library. View full report ↗